In some cases, processes for manufacturing a semiconductor includes a process in which formed semiconductor-chips are reduced in size and thickness by polishing the back of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, called wafer) for reduction in the thickness of the wafer after forming a circuit pattern on the surface of the wafer. Moreover, there are some cases in which reduction in the thickness of the wafer is realized in a manufacturing process of chemical etching in which liquid chemicals are used.
In the above manufacturing process, protective tape (hereinafter, called a tape member) with an adhesion property is pasted on the surface of the wafer. Thereby, a circuit is prevented from being damaged when the surface of the wafer is contaminated or scratched.
A device for bonding tape which bonds a tape member to the above surface of the wafer has been disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2003-7808 (patent document 1). In the device for bonding tape disclosed in the patent document 1, a state in which both a chamber on the side of a main body and that on the side of an upper cover are evacuated is made to a state in which the pressure of the chamber on the side of the upper cover is switched to the atmospheric one. Thereby, there is caused a pressure difference between the chamber on the side of the upper cover and that on the side of the main body, and a rubber sheet expands into the chamber on the side of the main body by the pressure difference. Then, the rubber sheet pushes the tape member by the above expanding to bond the tape member to the work piece.
Moreover, another pasting device has been disclosed in a patent document 2. In the device disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2000-349047 (patent document 2), the central portion of a base with excellent smoothness is bent toward the side of a tape member, using a pressure difference between a first vacuum chamber and a second vacuum one. While the base with the bent central portion is pressed against the tape member pasted on a wafer in response to the above operation, the wafer is raised by driving an up-and-down device. According to the above configuration, the tape member is bonded to the wafer while air is pushed out to the outside from the side of the central portion of the tape member.
As disclosed herein, Patent Document 1 is Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2003-7808 (refer to paragraph 0007 and FIG. 2 to FIG. 4); and Patent Document 2 is Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2000-349047 (refer to abstract and FIG. 1 to FIG. 5).
The configuration disclosed in the above-described patent document 1 has been still at an idea level, and has not taken a concrete form. Therefore, various kinds of problems are caused when an actually concrete form is tried to be given to the above configuration. One example is that considerably large tension is required in order to remove slack by the self weight of the rubber sheet when the sheet is stretched, because the rubber sheet is located in an upper portion in the configuration disclosed in the patent document 1. Consequently, there is a problem that it is difficult to install the rubber sheet.
Especially, a space between the tape member in contact with the rubber sheet and the wafer is usually small, for efficient bonding of the tape member, at an initial position at which bonding operation of the tape member to the wafer is started. In some cases, there is caused a problem that the tape member is bonded to the wafer before a stage for vacuum suction, and bubbles are embedded between the above bonded surfaces when slack is caused in the rubber sheet under a state in which the above space is small.
Moreover, a plurality of set screws are provided, and all these screws are required to be rotated according to the configuration disclosed in the patent document 1, and, when the set screws are required to simultaneously be rotated, it is difficult to execute the required operations. Furthermore, according to the configuration disclosed in the patent document 1, it is required to set up the tape member and the wafer under a state in which the upper cover is removed. Consequently, an excess number of man-hours are required.
Moreover, according to the configuration disclosed in the patent document 2, the base of glass plate and the like are bent, using the pressure difference between the first vacuum chamber and the second vacuum one, the base is bonded to the tape member pasted on the wafer, and, at the same time, the tape member pasted on the wafer and the base are further raised from the above bonded state. Consequently, two stages are required for the bonding process to need more number of man hours, which is not preferable in the view point of the cost. Moreover, as an up-and-down device is separately required in order to raise a wafer and the like, the configuration becomes complex, and, accordingly, the cost is increased.
The present invention has been made, considering the above-described circumstances, and its object is to provide a device and a method for bonding tape, by which a tape member is preferably bonded to a work piece while the slack of a rubber sheet is removed, and simplified processing, reduced cost, and improved bonding strength may be realized.